One of the joys of Christmas is the sheer number of small but special moments to mark. From the instant I clock off work for the year to the moment the tree comes down, I’ll be ticking off a checklist of these micro-occasions, all dear to me. It’s the opposite of spontaneous, but annual, idiosyncratic rituals are an essential part of the festive fun – as indeed are the drinks that go with them.
My personal 12 drinks of Christmas would start not too early in December with a bout of festive shopping, marked by the first batch of mince pies and the only mulled wine I’ll have this year. I prefer it homemade, with an affordable, naturally sweet port such as Fletcher’s ruby port NV (£8.29, Aldi) as the base rather than dry red wine. I’m also fond of another hot spiced festive drink tradition that I’ve imported from Spain: a darkly, thickly indulgent version of hot chocolate made from cinnamon-infused bars of Simón Coll Xocolata a la Pedra (£6.50, 200g bar, coldblowcoffee.co.uk).
Port and the cocoa bean have another moment together later in the festivities: youthful, black-fruity ports (ruby or reserve) are the best thing to sip with the Quality Street while I zone out after Boxing Day lunch with a rewatch of Some Like it Hot. A dark rum, such as Venezuela’s Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva (£31.79, masterofmalt.com), is better when the dark chocolate comes out with the board games later in the day. Its molasses intensity also works well splashed on the Christmas pudding to flame it, although the best thing to drink with that intensely sweet, rich and raisiny dessert are those intensely sweet, rich and raisiny fortified wines: PX sherry, such as Co-op Irresistible Pedro Ximenez sherry NV (£7.65, 37.5cl), and Australia’s particular Rutherglen muscat.
It isn’t always about adding to the rolling waves of indulgence; sometimes drinks can bring a little light and energy or provide an antidote to sofa-bound somnolence. There’s super-light fizz to sip with Christmas breakfast – such as grapey-charming, frothy Lidl asti spumante (£4.69) or alcohol-free Saicho jasmine sparkling tea (£20, 75cl, majestic.co.uk); or the hip-flask hit of warmth in the Christmas liqueur par excellence, The King’s Ginger (£21, Waitrose), to fortify post-prandial walks.
Ginger in all its forms is also a fine foil for whisky, of course, although my personal favourite festive whisky moment is the last one of the season: the peat-, heat- and sea-spray-infused dram of scotch I nurse before bed on New Year’s Day, when the party is over but normal life is yet to begin again.
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Six celebratory drinks to enjoy
Copenhagen Sparkling Tea Co Lysegrøn, Denmark NV (£16.50, thewinesociety.com)
For something glamorous and bubbly but without the hit of alcohol, this is an exceptionally refined sparkling tea with a zesty, pithy quality and a wonderfully clean, lip-smacking finish.
Compass Box The Peat Monster blended malt whisky, Scotland (£53, Waitrose)
I like my Christmas whisky to come with a breath of peat smokiness, a warming quality that aids ruminative fireside sipping in quieter festive moments: this provides it in a suave combination with honey-poached pear.
Plymouth sloe gin, England (from £27.99, masterofmalt.com; thewhiskyexchange.com)
A G&T is a classic candidate for the first drink of any holiday. For starting the Christmas break, go seasonal with the added warmth and tang of macerated sloe berries, which also makes for a prettily hued base for a gin fizz.
Stanton & Killeen Rutherglen classic 12-year-old muscat, Victoria, Australia NV (from £22, 37.5cl, thewinesociety.com; cheerswinemerchants.co.uk; nywines.co.uk)
Stanton & Killeen’s take on this Australian original fortified wine, with its mix of the figgy and treacly with chocolate-covered raisins, is a lighter-ABV alternative to whisky, rum or cognac.
EH Booth finest reserve port, Douro Valley, Portugal NV (£14, Booths)
Too good for mulling, this delightfully silky and stylishly fruity port made for Booths by the excellent Quinta de la Rosa, with its profusion of cherries and berries, is a great all-rounder for chocolate and cheese-based moments.
St Bernardus Christmas ale, Belgium (£5, 33cl, amathusdrinks.com)
Ignore the “run-up on the office computer” label – this is a magnificently punchy fortifying seasonal beer, with a streak of liquorice-like spiciness running through its creamy-rich prune, dried fig and dried citrus peel finish.